The Dao realm.
Clear qi drifted slowly, the mystic wind serene. Moonlight filled the Shadow-Moon Pool, spilling pale frost across the ground. With the cold-jade spirit statue of Miao'e as its axis, a crescent moon rose into the distant sky.
Moonlight fell directly upon Xu Xuan's face. He paced slowly, clear qi binding the two demons: one a taotie wreathed in blood-colored demonic clouds, the other a Desire Manifestation sleeping within the jade-like grease of water transformation.
"A compassionate heart, clear and pure; great desire, rich and greasy. These are the two natures of water transformation."
Silver lightning flashed in Xu Xuan's eyes. With the aid of clear qi, he now understood every transformation and property of the demon bodies. Within the pleasure-and-desire demon body, spiritual nature merged with life; there was none of an immortal cultivator's soul or true spirit. Everything was united within the demon body.
Mara's light occupied their spirit platforms, resonating with the Great Blissful Desire Demon Land, where their lives and spiritual natures were anchored. Even if they died, so long as support remained within the demon land and could sense their Dao beacons, their demon bodies could condense anew out of nothing.
When an immortal cultivator suffered grave injuries, repairing the Dharma body and settling the soul were both indispensable. These demon bodies, however, borrowed power from above, their spiritual nature merged with life. Once a body took shape, spiritual awareness arose of its own accord.
Xu Xuan gave his dark sleeves a slight shake and drew Pleasure and Desire over. He already understood the transformations of her demon body, but how she repeatedly regenerated out of nothing was another matter. Such a marvel was probably a Golden Core-level method, beyond the comprehension of a Purple Mansion cultivator.
Still, both Demon Manifestations were now